Ethnobotanical Assessment of the Diversity of Wild Edible Plants and Potential Contribution to Enhance Sustainable Food Security in Makkah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Wild edible plants contribute significantly to food security, environmental protection, cultural heritage preservation, economic diversification, and the development of communities. In this paper, we present an inaugural ethnobotanical investigation of the traditional knowledge on wild edible plant species from Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ethnobotanical fieldwork was conducted in Makkah from January to February 2025. Ethnobotanical data pertaining to wild edible plants were collected from 102 informants through free listing, semi-structured interviews, field observations, and a survey of the market. The data were analyzed based on descriptive statistics, the relative frequency of citation, preference ranking, and priority ranking. Forty-one out of one hundred and eighty-four wild plants were gathered and recognized as wild edible plant species belonging to twenty-one families. Poaceae showed the greatest species diversity, comprising five plant species (12%). Phoenix dactylifera L. is the most common wild edible plant. Notably, 11 of the 41 wild edible plants identified in this study had never been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia before. Wild edible plants are currently threatened by several anthropogenic sources in the research region, including overgrazing, fuel wood collection, and the repeated use of multiple species. Therefore, to ensure sustainable future usage, wild food plants must be used carefully and should be the subject of targeted conservation efforts from all stakeholders.